The way to erase content material and settings on Mac: an entire information

Whether or not you need your Mac to really feel model new otherwise you’re going to promote it, it’s vital to sign off out of your accounts and erase all content material and settings.

Luckily, gone are the times when cleansing your Mac was a trouble. In the event you personal a 2018 or newer mannequin, with the discharge of macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura, you may erase all information on Mac quick and simply. The life-saving function is named Erase All Content material and Settings (also referred to as Erase Assistant). On this article, you’ll discover ways to use the function and what to do to erase an older Mac. 

The way to erase all content material and settings on Mac utterly

In the event you’re a fortunate consumer of a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Safety Chip working macOS Monterey or macOS Ventura, you should use an Erase Assistant Instrument, which we’ll talk about later. For older Macs or Macs working older macOS variations, we advocate you strive CleanMyMac X. With its Shredder module, it’s doable to take away all undesirable information and folders with out leaving a hint. 

Right here’s learn how to erase all settings and content material with CleanMyMac X:

1. Open CleanMyMac X 
2. Click on the Shredder module within the left sidebar
3. Then click on Choose Recordsdata… to open the information you wish to erase
4. CleanMyMac permits you to eliminate information in a daily, fast, and dependable means by default. With the Take away Instantly possibility, Shredder can get round Finder errors and delete even gadgets which might be locked by processes which might be nonetheless working. In the event you select Take away Securely, you may make sure that deleted information and their digital traces can be made utterly irrecoverable
5. Subsequent, click on the Shred button.

✕ Take away app banner

In the event you’d wish to look by means of and kind the biggest information in your Mac, begin scanning within the Giant & Outdated Recordsdata module of CleanMyMac X. 

On prime of that, Get Backup Professional’s compression is 60% higher in comparison with backups carried out with Mac’s Time Machine. Let’s simply say you’ll save quite a lot of house in your exhausting drive with this app.

What does Erase Assistant do?

Lastly, let’s look into the Erase Assistant Mac Monterey and Ventura customers can benefit from. With the assistance of the function, you may reset your Mac to manufacturing unit settings and erase it earlier than reinstalling macOS with just a few clicks.

Right here’s what you are able to do with the Erase Assistant:

1. Signal you out of Apple providers like iCloud
2. Flip off Discover My and Activation Lock, so the Mac you’re wiping is now not related to you
3. Erase all content material and settings, in addition to any apps you’ve got put in
4. Erase all volumes (not simply the one you’re utilizing). In the event you put in Home windows in your Mac utilizing Boot Camp Assistant, the BOOTCAMP quantity will even be erased
5. Delete all consumer accounts and their information (not simply your personal consumer account).

The way to erase all content material and settings on Mac

On this half, you’ll be taught to erase all contents and settings on Mac utilizing the Erase Assistant. The placement of this feature on macOS Ventura and Monterey is somewhat completely different, so we’ll present you the steps for each.

Right here’s learn how to erase all content material and settings on macOS Monterey:

1. Go to the Apple menu and click on System Preferences
2. Then click on System Preferences within the menu bar and select Erase All Content material and Settings…
3. Enter your password and ensure that you simply wish to erase all media, settings, and information
4. Signal out of your Apple ID
5. Then click on Erase All Content material & Settings. 

Right here’s learn how to erase all content material and settings on macOS Ventura:

1. Go to the Apple menu and click on System Settings > Basic > Switch and Reset
2. Then click on on the Erase All Content material and Settings… button
3. You’ll be requested to enter the admin password to verify that you simply wish to erase all media, settings, and information
4. Then backup your Mac with Time Machine. It’s an non-obligatory step, nonetheless, and you’ll skip it by clicking Proceed
5. After that, enter your Apple ID password to sign off of your account. Click on Proceed
6. Subsequent, Click on Erase All Content material & Settings to start out the method
7. Wait till the method bar reaches the top. After you click on Restart, you may change your settings and use your Mac.

Observe: Erasing your Mac removes all the data from it. In the event you forgot to make a backup earlier than erasing, strive Disk Drill to get well misplaced information.

1. Open Disk Drill
2. Select the disk or system you wish to get well from on the left 
3. Then click on Seek for misplaced information
4. As soon as the scan is completed, overview the discovered gadgets, then click on Recuperate > vacation spot > OK.

✕ Take away app banner

Manufacturing facility reset vs. Erase All Content material and Settings

You could be questioning if manufacturing unit reset and Erase All Content material and Settings are the identical factor. These are two various things. 

Resetting all settings in your Mac restores the system to its unique manufacturing unit settings, which incorporates resetting all apps, default settings, and different information. Erasing all content material in your Mac is a extra excessive motion, utterly deleting all the pieces that’s not within the cloud.

The way to Erase All Content material and Settings on macOS Huge Sur and earlier

As talked about, in case you have a Mac from 2017 or older, the resetting course of can be much less easy – even when your present Mac is working macOS Monterey. The older Macs simply lack the required {hardware} to run the Erase Assistant. So resetting these Macs is considerably extra technical, nevertheless it’s not that troublesome if you understand what you’re doing. 

So in case your Mac is a 2018 mannequin or later however nonetheless working macOS Huge Sur or earlier, you may replace to Monterey and comply with the strategies above (utilizing the Erase Assistant), or you may stick together with your present macOS and comply with the directions from this information.

The way to erase and reset Macs safely

Now you understand how to erase all content material and settings on Apple silicon Mac or a T2-secured Intel Mac working macOS Monterey or Ventura. We additionally confirmed you some choices for older Macs and Macs working earlier macOS variations. Our favourite technique is the Shredder module of CleanMyMac X.

Nonetheless, irrespective of which macOS your Mac runs on, having a replica of vital information is a should. So earlier than erasing content material and settings, you’ll want to again up your important information with Get Backup Professional. If by probability you forgot to try this, strive Disk Drill to get well misplaced information.

The nice factor is that you simply don’t must search for all these apps. Simply go to Setapp and benefit from the above instruments together with dozens of different highly effective apps for a Mac, iPhone, iPad, and net. You should utilize all of the apps for seven days free, then $9.99/mo.